Vermonters visit and support Brossard Muslim woman turned away at U.S. border

A Muslim woman from Brossard and her family who were turned away at the border while trying to visit and shop in Vermont February 4 got a visit this past weekend from two Vermont couples who wanted to show their support.

"I was upset, like I think a lot of people were," said Andy Solomon when he heard about Fadwa Alaoui's story.

"It felt like someone had treated my neigbour badly."

So Solomon said he contacted Alaoui and arranged to meet at her house. He, his wife and their two kids made the two hour drive from their home in Richmond, buying the toys Alaoui had wanted for her son during the aborted trip in the first place.

"I was very happy and it touched my heart to have them with us and to have them support us," Alaoui told CJAD 800 News.

Another Vermont couple paid them a visit that day as well.

"The visit was wonderful, it was amazing, our kids played together, we had meals together, it was really nice and we had a lot in common," said Solomon in a phone interview.

"I think if more people on different ends of the political spectrum got to visit their neighbours, then they'd realize they had more in common than they thought."